Every time he came back from an international trip, or met someone new, he would write letters. These letters were painstakingly long, but he wrote them to make new connections, network, to pitch for funds for future performances, and even apply for grants,” says writer and advertising professional Neha Mitra of her husband’s uncle, and in-law by relation, dancer Astad Deboo. “Many of these letters would receive rejection letters in return—and he faced a lot of them, because his art was an unusual one. He would go meet people, they would assure him that they were interested, and then, when he’d come back and get started on the work, a rejection letter would arrive. But he never let it disappoint him. He would put it aside and say, ‘Never mind. I will apply again later’.”

Deboo, who passed away on December  10, 2020, following a battle with cancer, was a pathbreaker marrying Kathak and Kathakali to create a new dance vocabulary. His minimalistic dance form and use of space in extraordinary ways, earned him several laurels, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1996 and Padma Shri in 2007.